Until she met him
by Ishimaru Miwa
Summary: A week since her mother died, Hinata had ran away from home, trying to prove her worth, her ability to survive alone in the harsh world. Until she met him, and changed her entire life in ways she never would have forseen... NaruHina
1. The Runaway

Disclaimer : I do NOT own Naruto.

Summary : A week since her mother died, Hinata had ran away from home, attempting to prove her worth, her ability to survive alone in the harsh world. Until she met him...

Everything suddenly went quiet. Her quick, ragged breaths seemed to resound in the cold, dark alley and her body ached from the cruel punches rained on her skeletal torso. Blood pounded in her ears, her pulse quickening, surveying the unconcious man lying in a pool of his own vomit.

She began to back away from the plump drunkard warily, leaning onto the side of the wall for support. She could feel the warm, sticky liquid ooze from various wounded parts of her body, and she tried as best she could to merge with the darkness of the shadows.

Hyuuga Hinata clutched her side, and her pale lavander eyes clouded briefly in pain. Hissing softly, she tasted the metallic taste of blood on her tongue as she doubled over, and sank onto her knees. Bruised all over and her stomach growling for food, she thought of giving up, to return home pleading for forgiveness, to try and become a person fit to be the heir of the Hyuuga clan.

All the delectable little dishes, the soft feather-bed with the satin sheets, the warmth of a large fire roaring in the fireplace as she snuggled in the large crouch... She wouldn't even mind the harsh words and disappointed glances her father shot her way now. She shook her head forcibly. What was she thinking, to return like a coward without even proving herself, that she can survive on her own after she barely escaped of there?

She got up to her feet, brushing the few strands of stray hair away from her face. What used to be silky, glossy locks was now limp and matted clumps of hair.

The man stirred, and Hinata backed away, quickly getting into a defensive stance. Her body protested every move she made, but she forced it on. She was, for the first time in her life, glad that her father demanded she learnt how to fight. She was not one of the branch Hyuuga members who never learnt to fight in their whole life, having to serve the main members. She was the heir, for all it meant, but the blood of the Hyuuga never did seem to run deep in her.

Hinata had looked forward to learning the arts, ever since she saw Neji, her cousin, fight so gracefully it seemed he was dancing. She knew she paled in comparison to Neji, and that she would never be good enough for her father. His attention became more concentrated to her younger sister once it became apparant that she did not have the talent.

Her mother had been the only one of her parents who openly showered her attention on her. She had used to tell her that her father loved her as well,and she forced herself to believe it. She loved her mother dearly, and her mother taught her all she knew on medical herbs, but she still craved for the love of her father.

Hinata used to sneak furtive glances at him during dinner, when the main and branch family ate together. The man ignored his daughter most of the time, keeping his eyes glued to the newspaper as he sipped a cup of coffee. Hinata had opened her eyes to reality once her mother died a few months ago.

Everybody was grieving, lost in their own thoughts, and she had seemed to just fade into the background. Her father was was weeping and her sister was nowhere to be seen. She knew that she would never hear her mother's sweet voice singing, calling out for her anymore. She'll be damned before she'll ever return, she told herself, once more hardening her resolve.

She was cut of from her thoughts rather abruptly when the large-sized male steadied himself, swaying on his feet. Spotting Hinata, he advanced on her with a horrible grin, showing all of his crooked teeth. The wind changed direction briefly, carrying the scent of his stale breath to her.

She retreated, her ears craning, her eyes darting, searching for any sudden movement he made. Her feet flitted easily over the cobblestones as she contemplated her options. The man was larger than her, stronger too, but her lithe frame and speed more than made up for it. The drunkard was sluggish, still shrugging from the effects of achohol; she hated fighting others, and she figured she had a good chance of escaping if she ran.

He came upon her suddenly, fat and lumbering, and Hinata side-tracked with ease, dodging under the fist that was swung at her. Without even a backwards glance, she took off for the main road. Wrong choice. Her stomach lurched suddenly, her eyes widening as she was lifted clean off the ground, and sent crashing into the wall.

A reddening bruise was quickly forming where the man had hit her, and she thought that a rib or two had broken. she attempted attacking, but it was no use. He, though drunk, was much stronger. She could feel the punches coming one after another. Months of starvation and beatings had taken its toil on her body. She had barely the energy to stand.

"So you think you Hyuugas are all that huh? I'll teach you, you stupid bitch!" The man obviously had a grudge against Hyuugas, his blows becoming harder and harder on her.

Hinata tuned off, trying to focus on something else; the beady eyes of a passing crow, or a the number of pebbles on the ground. It was her way of escaping from the pain. Her body racked with sobs, until it seemed she could cry no more, and fell silent. After a few minutes of what seemed like the stinging lash of a belt, the man finally gave up at getting a response from her and stalked off, grunting.

A slight drizzle started, and Hinata, lying motionless on the hard stone floor, was pelted in full. She couldn't feel some parts of her body after the harsh beating she had received. The rain trickled down into her eyes, and fell from the tip of her nose. The water could be telling her to let go of her troubles, and simply fade away, or perhaps it was mocking her, laughing at her failure to fend off a drunken man. No wonder people had always said that she was pathatic, useless, not deserving of the title. But wasn't this what she had always wanted? To be independant? To be free from her father and the oppressive mood of the mansion?

She had thought that it was her main objective in life. Until she met him.

Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Hi! This is Ishimaru Miwa. So... how do you think of the story so far? I don't mind criticism, as long as it is constructive. Anyway, I hope you liked the starting. (grins) 


	2. The first time they met

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto, but this plot is mine. There! I said it. Now on with the story!

Until she met him... Chapter 2

Hinata wandered the streets of Konoha in a daze, barely able to lift her feet as she dragged them one step after another. She hung her head, her eyelids feeling like lead, and peered at the ground through half-closed eyes. Her indigo locks hung wildly about her head, unwashed, uncut and uncombed. She shuffled her feet as she moved on wearily, oblivious to the stares she was getting from the villagers. Her uncoordinated limbs failed her suddenly, and her body fell back with a loud thump.

Pain seared in her back of her head, and blood throbbed loudly in her eardrums. The onlookers' whispers sounded like bees buzzing in her ears as she struggled to stand unsucessfully. Someone parted the crowds and reached her. A hand was thrust out, palm open, towards her. Hinata stared at at the hand for a few moments, her eyes slowly processing the thought to her brain. Her head snapped up without warning, and her eyes were hit with the glaring rays of the sun.

Her hand came up immediately to shield her eyes, and she hung her head, almost automatically. She blinked, and shook her head to get rid of the smattering of dark spots in her vision. She took the hand cautiously. It felt large compared to her small dainty ones, but she felt safe. The calloused hand enveloped hers, warmth spreading through her cold fingers. She was sure that the warmth had spread to her face as well.

She craned her neck to look at him again. The sun's rays shone in her eyes, rendering her unable to see anything of her savior except his silhouette. The last thing she remembered before blacking out, was a head of spiky hair.

* * *

Naruto sighed and ran his fingers through his unruly hair impatiantly. He paced the floor quietly, before flopping backwards onto his small sofa. He sighed again as he tossed about, trying hard not to wake his sleeping companion. After bringing her to his apartment, he had absolutely no idea what to do with her. 

He had been on the way home from Ichiraku when a loud commotion reached his ears. Curious, he had approached the crowd, wriggling between the gaps to reach the centre of all the ruckus. The people had, of course, flattened themselves as far back as they could when they saw him approach, like he had been infected with a contagious disease. That was the only expected behavior, but it still hurt. A lot.

Naruto ignored them as best as he could, but he still felt extremely self-concious, as if one mistake he made would cost him the world. His deep sapphire orbs scanned the area, not really taking anything in, only feeling the stares on his back. Then, all his thoughts faded away, once his roaming eyes had settled on the small, seemingly fragile girl half-sitting, half-lying, on the ground.

He took in her dirty appearance, her cheeks smeared with dirt, her broken sandals, and her ragged clothes. Without thinking about what he was doing, he lowered his upper torso slightly, one hand on his knees, and held out his other hand silently. Through it all, her milky orbs blinked intelligently at him.

Her electrifying touch had jolted him to reality. His hand claimed hers unconsciously, and his heart pounded loudly in his chest, beating against his ribcage.

He was happy. Happier than he had ever been in his whole life. Happier than seeing his orange jumpsuit the first thing in the morning. Happier than eating ramen... okay, maybe not, but a wide smile had wormed its way onto his face all the same. She had not rejected him like the others, instead gladly taking his offered hand. But of course, she had to black out at that very moment, thus breaking the near enchanted state he had been in. Carrying her to his small but practical apartment, he had laid her on the bed before proceeding to cook a cup of instant ramen.

He sighed again, tossing about his sofa in frustration. He recognised those eyes of hers... why would someone belonging to such a respectable clan end up in that state? _Tomorrow, _he promised, _I'll ask her tomorrow when she wakes up._

Stepping away from the window slightly, someone emerged from the walls of the house, glanced back at the two with a tilt of his head and vanished.

_

* * *

_Haiz... another chapter finished. Well, aren't you going to review? Anyway, thank you RasenganFin, for being my first, (and only), reviewer! (beams) 


	3. Waking Moment

Hey! Hello all readers! (beams) Right, Uzukun7 has brought to my attention that he does not know how old the characters are. Oops, sorry! I forgot to write er.. type them down. So...

Naruto - 5

Hinata - 5

Their age is somewhere around this... Oh yes, a reviewer told me not to make Naruto into superman or something like that. Don't worry! I'm not about to turn him into a mega-powerful being at such a young age! And thanks for all the reviews! I'll like to thank all the reviewers, **Demon of Konoha, Rin-chan013, Alan Quicksilver, nkidik, Uzukun7, Pearl(Fallen-Forgotten-Faith), the hybrid, Lunarangel's Dark Flame,** and last but not least**, Falconrok5!** This chapter is longer than the previous, because of a request from a reviewer. I shall not bore you with my incessant chat anymore. Yup, the story starts... now!

Until she met him... Chapter 3

_He ran and ran, legs stretching beyond their limits, heart hammering loudly in his ribcage, as he dashed across the street, and into yet another alleyway. The faceless moon shone, her hands reaching to the furthest ends of earth, lighting up the darkest corners._

_He panted and heaved tediously. Every breath took a bit from his precious little energy. His skin was hot and sticky, oversized shirt clinging uncomfortably to him. His legs were itchy from the rough fabric of his pants rubbing continuously against him, but he daren't slow down to scratch it. Luck appeared to be on his side today. No, he wouldn't let them catch him. Never. If they did... he..._

_A gigantic wall loomed suddenly in front of him, the faint blue light the moon emited making it look bigger than it actually was. A hand clamped down on his shoulder. and he whirled around, as frightened as a mouse caught by its predator. Traces of fear appeared on his face as he darted to the side suddenly, his hands grasped for footholds as he scrambled up the wall nimbly._

_His fingers were bloodied, smeared with dirt, and one by one, his nails cracked under the pressure of the momentum used to lift him upwards. His grip was tenacious, or so he believed. A forceful tug on his leg was all it needed to unbalance him, and he lost his hold on the wall, sending him sprawling on the ground._

_Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his eyes scrunched shut in terror. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms securely around them, as if they would protect him from the abuse he would soon receive. He tried to flatten himself as much as he could against the wall without losing his position, and with his body curled up into a tight ball, waiting fearfully for the first strike to come._

_"Demon," they chanted, sneering at him. "You're a pathetic little demon aren't you? Where's your mommy and daddy?" One of them whispered, his soft voice deceptively gentle, pressing his face close to his as he did so. His breath was uncomfortable against his cheek, grazing against his skin lightly._

_"Let me tell you then. They're in hell beause their child is a MONSTER!" He screamed, raising his voice more than a few decibles upwards. His words, a hissing arrow which shot true to its target, wounded the boy far more than physical blows could. His head bobbed up, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Too late. He was greeted with a smashing punch to his face, before his face even registered the shock._

_As the others joined in, scoring numerous hits on his body, he chocked back a sob._

_He was a demon... _

_A Demon... Demon... Demon...

* * *

_

Naruto jerked himself awake. The scenes of the nightmares played over and over in his head. He took a deep, calming breath, and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. His blankets were entangled around his lower body, and he tried to extricate himself, lifting a shaky, trembling hand. He swung his legs over the side of the couch, and stoodshuffling his feet, as he dragged his unwilling body to the kitchen.

As he entered, a step onto the cold floor tiles of the kitchen, he caught a whiff of the aromatic smellof... Ramen! He closed his eyes with a sigh, all unhappy thoughts driven from his mind. He followed his nose, sniffing in the air, step by step closer to the source.

"Excuse me..." a timid voice spoke up, barely above a whisper.

"Ehh?!" Naruto's eyes shot open, "Who are you?" He stared at her, contemplating his thoughts, piece by piece, for about three minutes, before piercing the not-exactly-very-difficult puzzle together at last. She figeted, cowering under the burning gaze of the boy, before finally deciding to speak up.

"I am Hyuuga... Hina-"

"AHH!!! I remember now! You're that girl who fainted in the middle of the street!" She had been about to introduce herself, before the words died on her lips, and closed her mouth slowly. She nodded carefully, noting down every move he made silently in her mind.

Then, once again, Hinata was staring at his outstretched hand, as it was thrust suddenly in front of her. She lifted her head to ogle at her hyperactive, overly loud companion, to find tousled, blond hair, tanned skin, and a cheeky smile stretched from ear to ear.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" he proclaimed loudly, jabbing his thumb at his chest, "and I'm the handsome, talented, future Hokage of Konoha!"

Hinata dissolved into silent giggles at the sight of him proudly praising himself with no restraint. The boy made her feel free of all worries, trusting of him, and she was sure that he would not mock, or laugh at her. She steadied her breathing, then gazed at him with a soft smile on her face, a smile that had not been on her face for months. She took his hand, her eyes fixated on his.

" My name is Hinata," she managed to say without a stutter, "Hyuuga Hinata".

"Good morning, er, afternoon, Hinata-chaaaan!" He exclaimed, dragging out the last word. "Ano sa, ano sa, do you want more ramen?"

He could somehow sense in the muddled mind of his, that she was not all that confident in herself, but he would make sure that someday, she could express her feelings loudly and clearly, just like him! That, is a promise of a lifetime.

* * *

And so, the third chapter ends. Haiz... I don't know when I'll be posting the next chapter, but I promise it will not be too long! I have a pretty good idea about what to write for the next chapter, but I haven't actually typed it out yet. Anyway, thanks for taking time to read this, and remember to review, cause reviews make the world go round! 


	4. Perspectives

Disclaimer: Yes, I own Naruto. That's why I'm sitting here, wishing for more NaruHina, SasuSaku when I could have just made it canon.

"You're late."

The words were soft, but they rang with authority. He took a small sip of his tea, and set the cup down, and the clink of the teacup connecting with the table reverberated through the quiet room in the heart of the Hyuuga compound.

Another, a man kneeling, with his forehead touching the floor respectfully, gave a start at the sudden sound. He calmed himself with a deep breath, and proceded to speak.

"My apologies, Hiashi-sama. There were unforseen circumstances.." He trailed off, and chanced a look at Hiashi's face. There was an almost invisible narrowing of his eyes, and the man knew that he was in trouble. "I was drunk." He blurted out, and he hated himself for the fear in his voice. Hyuugas were meant to be fearless warriors, to charge into battle at the frontlines and eliminate enemies with a graceful strike of their fingers. But he was weak, and better suited to reconnaissance, which was why this job, this humiliating task of stalking a barely five-year-old child had fallen to him.

There was pin-drop silence, and the tension was almost palpable. He dared not lift his head, dared not make even the slightest movement.

"She is doing well?" He had spoken nonchalantly. The sky is blue, he might have said, and there wouldn't be a difference.

The man breathed a sigh of relief, his body losing some of its rigidness, the gesture unseen with his head to the floor. With the four words, the tension was broken. He was forgiven for the moment. If he didn't know better, he might have mistaken the cold indifference for worry. But there was no way. Hiashi was an unfeeling bastard and that fact was set in stone. This was his cue to rise, and he did, keeping his gaze nowhere near the leader of the clan.

He repressed his emotions, and concentrated on giving the report. If there was one more mistake, one wrong word, he knew that the seal on his forehead may most probably activate. Hyuuga Hiashi was not known for his kindness.

He took another deep breath, and exhaled through his mouth slowly. Calm down, he told himself, fighting the urge to scream. "Hinata-sama had been beaten and lashed by a drunken man, and there are bruises and dark purple welts on her back. Her head was also hurt when she was tossed into a wall, but there seems to be no severe injuries done to her skull."

"And?" There was no mistaking the anger in his tone now. Whether it was directed at the unfortunate drunken man, or his daughter, he did not know.

"He has been dealt with." That was true. The man had been relieved of the same limbs he used to pound the girl into the ground.

"She is currently with the... the Kyuubi container, and as of three days ago, is staying in his apartment."

The man had no idea how he would react, and was pleasantly surprised when he showed no outward emotion, and instead dismissed him with a wave of his hand. As he stood up to leave, he noticed the lines of worry on Hiashi's face, and was struck by how he had seemed so worn and haggard, seemed to have aged so much within just a few months. He didn't know why he wanted him to keep tabs on her, when he could have simpy ordered him to fetch her back, but he let go of the thought almost immediately. He would live longer that way.

Alone in the room by himself, Hiashi allowed himself a brief moment of reprieve, and reached into his haori for a picture taken in a rare moment, when the four of them were together, when sickness and death seemed remote. He brushed their faces lightly with his thumb, his head bowed. His gaze lingered on Hinata's, her face so open and so full of trust, and of his recently deceased wife. They were happy then. What went wrong, he could not, but ask himself.

The ache in his heart never seemed to go away. How many times had he wished for her to be back at his side, to soothe him with her calm voice, to wash all his troubles away? As he watched her in the photo, he had only one question for her.

"What would you have done in my place?"

* * *

At that same moment in a different room across the village of Konoha, one Hyuuga Hinata stirred. For the first time in a few months, her dreams were of pink pink bunnies, shimmering waterfalls, and beautiful gardens of every kind of flower imaginable. But she knew she had to get somewhere. There was something she wanted, no needed, to find. Even in the presence of such picturesque scenery, she was restless.

She heard it before she saw it. A light step on the grass-carpeted ground, the glimpse of a tanned hand disappearing behind a tree. "Is anyone there?" Her voice was soft, meek. No one answered her call. She followed, slowly at first, but the need to know, to uncover the identity of her elusive quarry caused her footsteps to quicken. The person always seemed to match her pace. She didn't know how long this game of cat-and-mouse had lasted. She was tired, her legs ached, and she was taking more and more stops in between. Her breaths were ragged, and her eyes strained.

"Don't go!" She cried out, and his footsteps seemed to falter for a moment.But he did not stop, instead continuing and disappearing out of her sight behind a grove of trees. Her heartbeat raced, her panic rising, and she just felt so nauseous. The canopy of leaves above her let in flickers of light, blinding her temporarily and just seemed to swirl round and round and round an-...

A hand was thrust into her face, and she saw only a head of spiky golden hair, and light blue eyes. Somehow, this scene was familiar, like she had witnessed it sometime in recent memory...

"-inata-chan! Hinata-chan!"

She opened her eyes blearily. Someone was calling her. The fuzzy image cleared slowly, and she saw a blond boy with a wide grin and whiskers on his cheeks standing right in font of her.

"Ano sa, ano sa, can we go play now? Let's play catching this time!" His boisterous voice sounded too loud in the ungodly hour of... she scanned the room for the large oval clock... six in the morning. She groaned inwardly. Too loud.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Hinata-chan?"

"Go back to sleep."

* * *

Fine, I lied. It's been more than a year since I last updated, but somehow the plot bunny just wouldn't get out of my head, so there you go, a new chappie.

Right, just to clarify some things. Hinata is a little less shy in my fic because..well, while it is adorable, I feel that Hinata is a more complex character than just -blush-faint-blush- and N-Na-ru-to-k-kun. Anyway, to quote Shikamaru, it's just too troublesome to add so many hypens. Anyway, this fic is not on hiatus. I just write i think of a new chapter.

Click on the cute little button down there and review please!


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